CactusVPN VPN Blog

In our VPN blog security experts offer you their knowledge about VPN, online privacy, security, Smart DNS and bypassing restrictions. You will also find the latest news and promotions that we run here at CactusVPN.

Pandora is a US-based music streaming service that gives you access to thousands of hours of music from some of the best artists. This prime service is available as a full version in the US. However, most countries get limited or no access due to copyright restrictions. In this post, we’ll be showing you how you can get Pandora unblocked when you’re outside of the US.Continue reading

Spotify is a popular music platform that lets you access thousands of songs from a multitude of artists. It also allows you to tailor-make your own playlist and let it play for hours at a time. It brings with it unlimited customization, as well as the freedom to listen to music from any device that has an internet connection. But what about the restrictions against this service applied by your school? Or the regional licence agreements that prohibits access to the platform? In this post, we’ll look at how to get Spotify unblocked at school or anywhere else using a VPN service.Continue reading

What are proxy servers?

Proxy servers are machines that act as intermediaries to guide the internet traffic from a computer through a remote server which in the end accesses the user’s desired online destination. They filter or authenticate the content the client seeks to access, before granting the request. Any info you send or receive goes through a proxy server first.Continue reading

Update! May 15, 2018. This promotion has ended.Mother’s day is a very special time of the year. Why not celebrate it a bit differently this year? Make an investment in your online privacy with an amazing discount. Don’t you want to be safe online when browsing the web and to make sure you don’t leave a trail of breadcrumbs for your ISP and authorities to be able to check every single move you make online? It’s time to change that, and you won’t find a better time than right now! Continue reading

Telegram, the world’s ninth most popular mobile messaging app is now no longer available in Russia. With over 200 million global users, the app that was created by a Russian entrepreneur has already been under pressure for a while to hand over encryption keys to Russian authorities. Continue reading

Update! April 3, 2018. This promotion has ended.There’s no better way of guaranteeing your online security than investing in CactusVPN. And with our one-off Easter discount, the highest levels of privacy have never been more affordable. Continue reading

The CactusVPN macOS app has now been updated to version 6. This means that our customers will be able to enjoy higher levels of convenience and performance across the board, with the same high levels of privacy and security. The following changes have been made: Continue reading

You may have heard of VPNs by now, or even used one in a business context. But did you know that, besides allowing you to connect to your work network while outside the office, a VPN may be a useful, smart bonus to your personal endeavors? In other words, if you haven’t already, you might want to try using a VPN at home, too, since VPN advantages surpass by far its disadvantages when it comes to Internet browsing and sensitive data protection. Continue reading

Browsing the internet via a VPN isn’t an option reserved solely for business purposes or travelling occasions. You may not be completely aware of it, but a VPN is a great solution for protecting your personal data whenever you’re online – which is probably most of the time nowadays, right? But how does VPN security work, anyway? Luckily, you don’t have to be a tech expert to set up a VPN and benefit from all its advantages. Continue reading

We’re happy to announce that users of CactusVPN will now have the ability to unblock French websites using Smart DNS and stream new content. Our service is expanding, and we’re happy to provide you with access to a huge amount of French streaming sites, covering a wide range of genres. Continue reading

CactusVPN is proud to announce that we have set up five new VPN servers in Europe and Asia. Subscribers will be able to take their pick of a huge selection of streaming content previously blocked due to geo-restrictions, while maintaining the highest levels of privacy and security. Continue reading

Update! February 15, 2018. This promotion has ended.If you’re looking to curl up on the sofa with someone special this Valentine’s Day, we have everything you need when it comes to accessing all the latest films and TV. CactusVPN lets you sidestep geo-restrictions and improve your online security and privacy. As a result, you can take your pick from streaming and download services around the world with zero stress. And from the 8th to the 14th of February, we’ll be knocking off up to 54% from our prices. Continue reading

If you don’t know who the NSA are, you really should. This government department operates as one of the key data gathering and surveillance organisations in the world. The organisation has been around for over half a century, and operates as the US government’s main department for monitoring and collecting data. This means they have far reaching powers, and it’s clear that they aren’t afraid of overstepping their mandate. The department has been at the center of a number of scandals regarding NSA spying, and its lack of transparency suggests there may be far more going on than we know about.Continue reading

Update! January 5, 2018. This promotion has ended.Christmas is near and there’s something special in store at CactusVPN for you! Purchase your VPN or Smart DNS services with a huge discount now and never worry about your online security, online privacy or restrictions!

Enjoy the freedom of a safe internet where you have access to endless hours of fun in complete anonymity and without geo-restrictions! Continue reading

In a world where your personal data is a highly valuable commodity, it’s become increasingly important to be safe . In other words, to do everything you can to protect data essential to you against prying eyes. And since email continues to be one of the most popular ways to keep in touch with your loved ones and your business partners, you may find it useful to learn how to encrypt an email. Find our tips below! Continue reading

If you’re just a normal internet user and don’t have a lot of technical knowledge about how the internet works and how you can become a victim of hackers without even know it then you need to read this article to find out what is IP spoofing and how you are able to stop hackers from attacking you. Continue reading

The advent of Internet and the steep rise, in recent years, of social media and e-commerce gave birth to a brand new, unknown before, type of threat: online scams. As expected, the increasing use of online platforms meant, as well, the expansion of online scams which nowadays are as diverse as they are numerous. Continue reading

While it might sound cute and harmless, POODLE SSL Exploit is the exact opposite. POODLE SSL Exploit is a hacking method that can give third parties access to what you are transmitting online and allowing them to crack through encryptions. This attack is able to exploit the weakness in the encryptions used to protect the HTTPS protocol. Continue reading

There are plenty of things to discuss when it comes to online privacy and surfing the web unhinged by any geo-restrictions forcefully imposed. There are a lot of websites that offer software capable of shielding you from everything bad, but this doesn’t mean it’s true. Continue reading

Update! November 29, 2017. This promotion has ended.Why create 3 different promotions for Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving and Black Friday when you can have one amazing promotion running for two whole weeks?

We figured it would be best if we went with the latter. Therefore, between the 14th and 28th of November, you can get up to 54% discount on our products!Continue reading

Our efforts to make things easier and safer for you on the mean world wide web translated lately in a series of new additions to the list of accepted payment methods.

We always struggle to find ways of making your experience with us better and since we already know that you care about your online privacy and safety, we decided it was time to add some new payment methods which expand the ways you can purchase our services.Continue reading

The good news keep on rolling with CactusVPN! After the launch of our Android TV and Amazon Fire TV Smart DNS apps, we discovered an improvement that needed to be done on the sign in feature of both apps. Continue reading

Update! November 3 26, 2017. This promotion has ended.This Halloween, trick or treat your way to up to 54% off on VPN and Smart DNS packages here at CactusVPN. Get in the Halloween spirit! Browse the internet safely, without having your online movements tracked, at amazingly low prices! Continue reading

An announcement was made recently about the WPA2 security protocol and the news seem to be pretty bad. Vulnerabilities were found in the WPA2 devices and what is particularly worrying is the fact that WPA2 is a modern security protocol, considered by many the most secure one available. Continue reading

Since Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, a new shopping season is about to start. We all know how exciting it is to dive into the Cyber Monday, Black Friday and Christmas sales and “shop ‘til you drop” but there’s something you may not have considered until now. Is it really safe to shop online around the big holidays? There’s a couple of common scams Cyber Monday scams you can fall for, so be sure to stay informed and learn how to avoid online scams. Thanks to our experts, you will now have all the information you need. Continue reading

They say good news travel fast, so make sure to let everybody know that CactusVPN made a great addition to the big list of ways it makes your life easier online! A brand new Amazon Fire TV VPN app is now available!

Because we know it’s important for you to have access to your favorite streaming platforms and online services from any device, we decided to help you bypass geo-restrictions while also staying safe, directly from your Fire TV device! Continue reading

Awesome news for CactusVPN users! You can now install the CactusVPN VPN app directly on your Android TV!

We know how important it is for you to be able to easily access your VPN and Smart DNS on any device. And that is exactly why we decided to give you the option to access the internet through CactusVPN effortlessly from your Smart TV.Continue reading

Following a series of several other moves to strengthen online censorship in the last couple of months, China has now largely blocked the Whatsapp messaging app. This is considered by many specialists a move made by Beijing in order to improve online surveillance before a big Communist Party gathering scheduled for next month. Continue reading

Canada is believed to be a safe haven for online piracy, with more people leaving the regulated TV system each year to watch free content online. 1.88 billion visits were made last year by Canadians to piracy websites only last year and the problem is constantly growing.

According to Rob Malcolmson, Bell’s senior VP of regulatory affairs, the plan to block piracy websites in Canada would work as follows: a blacklist should be created, on which to be included all the websites that illegally stream free content, list that would then be passed along to all ISPs in Canada, which in the end would simply block their users’ access to said websites.Continue reading

If you already are a customer of CactusVPN, or you are just thinking of starting using our services, it’s important to know that we have introduced one of the best and most modern VPN protocols: the IKEv2 VPN Protocol.

CactusVPN wants to make sure that your internet experience isn’t hindered by any inconvenience of any kind and this is why we have just added support for this type of VPN protocol: IKEv2. Continue reading

If you’re someone who fears the worst, you ought to know the worst has already happened: hotel WiFi can no longer be considered a safe option for travellers. This was a lesson learned the hard way, as real people have tasted the bitter medicine of one of the most prolific group of hackers in the world.Continue reading

VPN solutions have popped up like mushrooms after rain, especially given the increasing level of internet surveillance and use of geo-restriction. Whether you’ve been already using VPN for your personal computer or not, it’s only natural that you’d want the device closest and dearest to you (you guessed it right, your phone!) to be equally protected and safe. There are many solutions for this out there, with many claiming to be the “best VPN for Android”. But before making any hasty decisions, let’s take a closer look at the processes behind the technological curtain. Continue reading

The Internet freedom took yet another blow as VPN apps have been deleted from China’s App Store. These have been vastly used in the past years by internet users, in their attempt to overcome the strict censorship system.

According to Apple officials, the VPN apps contain content that is illegal in this country, violating therefore Apple’s policies and which finally led to their removal from the Chinese version of the App Store. Continue reading

Because we always struggle to deliver the best possible services to our customers, we are proud to announce that our Android VPN App has been constantly updated within the past couple of months and it is now in its most advanced state yet. Continue reading

At CactusVPN we’re passionate about building new features and functionalities to delight our users and improve their online experiences. Now, we are thrilled to announce that we’ve added yet another feature – the “Internet Kill Switch” functionality. So whether you are using our Windows app or the macOS app, you get to benefit from this small but extremely useful improvement. Continue reading

Apple has made it abundantly clear since the introduction of iOS 8 in 2014, that all their devices are encrypted and therefore protected against hackers and thieves. But is that all you need in order to have your online privacy and sensitive data protected or do you also need a VPN for iPhone? Let’s find the answer together by exploring all aspects below.Continue reading

The Parliament voted a bill in Russia on Friday, which would outlaw any web tools that allow Internet users to bypass officially banned websites and access restricted content. This is the latest step Russia has taken in the effort of tightening online services control and has been justified as a necessary measure against extremist content that’s been spreading in online communities.Continue reading

A new data mining law has recently been voted for in the Dutch Senate. The senators approved the Interior Minister’s data mining law and have hereby granted the Dutch Intelligence services the authority to intercept data at a much more in-depth level. The changes will take effect on January 1st 2018. There are some big changes this new data mining law brings about, the most important of which being the fact that the intelligence service AIVD and its military counterpart MIVD will have the power to intercept much more online communications than they did until now.Continue reading

That’s right! More good news for our iOS app users! We know that in the fast-paced online world, you come across many challenges. But worry not, as we are always crafting and improving our products to fit every user’s needs. Apart from safety online, we believe in free access to all content for everyone. Continue reading

Good news for those who wish to access websites blocked outside Sweden! We are very excited to announce that we have started unblocking geo-restricted websites from Sweden with our Smart DNS technology. Continue reading

Good news for all CactusVPN apps users! We are happy to introduce you to the newest version of our VPN apps for Windows and macOS.

This is one of the many things we have been working on in order to build the best ever experiences and offer the highest level of security for our users. The new improvement focuses on the update of the OpenVPN protocol to its latest 2.4.2 version. It’s worth mentioning that OpenVPN is the most secure VPN protocol and now you can benefit from it’s latest version using our Windows VPN app and macOS VPN app. Continue reading